I never played a bard before, so i didn't exactly know how it would turn out, but after finishing baldurs gate 2 and starting throne of bhaal, i can say it is a class well worth considering.

I'm playing a human skald, have an AC of -10 and am still able to use spells, when i start playing my enhanced bard song i have an AC of -20!!.
For some reason i still have the sword i got from Greed in hell, it's name currently slips me mind, and Gesens bow, enhanced elven chain, and were i using the staff of the magi and ring of gaxx, i could even bring my AC down to maybe -12/-14 !! (with song -22/-24 !!) ,if only my mage wouldn't have such a crappy AC, ...ah well

plus being able to use any item and identifying everything there is to find.....
Like they say in the kit description, a great overall character, Jack-of-all-trades ('cept maybe on the clerical side)

don't go dismissing bards ahead like i always did

<font color="gold">Aye, I agree, Bards aint bad at all! I especially like Blades. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I once had a game where my PC was a Blade, named Xoran, he was dualwielding Celestial Fury and Shortsword of the Mask (ToB), and was a real kiler-machine with the high-level ToB-abilities. ;)
So I totally agree with you, Bards arent to be underestimated at all! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Btw, the weapon you're thinking about is the Blackrazor. ;) </font>

right, blackrazor...aren't you suppose to lose it no matter what choice you make?

<font color="gold">No, not if you choose the evil path. Then you can stick on to it. [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>

Bards in generally, have never been dissed in these forums. Those who do not appreciate Bards? Their loss.

Some Bard Tactics.

<font color="lawngreen" face="trebuchet MS">I think that the Jester is quite an annoying type of bard :( the advantage/disadvantage isnt any good.. so if your going to try being a bard dont be a jester... If you have ToB I would suggest going for a Blade.... but if you only have SoA i would think seriously about being a skald... they arent as battle heavy but they are quite good to sing while they are waiting to cast their next spell [img]smile.gif[/img] ... </font>

Bards underappreciated? You obviously weren't around in the good old days of BGDungeon, when a guy named BraveSirRobin soloed BG2 with a jester, the legendary Bob the Jester. The memories...

Thats what I've been trying to say during my whole time on IW. Bards rule, awesome lore, the skald kicks but, and they can make good packhorses if needed.

<font color=Orange>I hate bards, myself. They can't ever do anything!</font>

A Bard can attack Mind Flayers with wild abandon, and not get hit a single time. In fact, a single Bard can clear out a city of Mind Flayers.

Bards can attack invisibly for 2 minutes, an invisibility that is not dispellable even by True Sight. Only pureclassed, dualclassed and multiclassed ~~/Mages share this ability.

Bards can sing, no other class can. A Bard can sing and fight at the same time by the way. If you know how to. ;)

Bards can identify the most obscure of things, and their Lore is second to none.

Bards can fight, cast spells and thieve. Only the multiclassed Fighter/Thief/Mage can do all three as well, but a F/T/M cannot sing. ;)

Shall I go on? ;) "They can't ever do anything!", my a**. ;) [img]tongue.gif[/img] ;)

[ 06-22-2002, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

Bards no good?!?! Bull! My very first SoA char was a female Blade---talk about a *sweet* game! Magic (which I admit I usually steer clear of mage types) AND superior fighting capabilities with lore out the ying-yang and good hp.........what's *not* to love about the class? I've a male Jester waiting in the wings and Budha has a Skald waiting as well to have a go at whooping some serious bad-guy butt.

<font color=Orange>Mages are still way better than bards</font>

That is your opinion, but there is no need to diss the Bard as useless. ;)

PS: I am a Sorcerer fanatic, but there is a ToB ability for Bards that even my Sorcerer fears. ;)

<font color=Orange>Whats the ability Dundee?</font>

ToB Minor Spoiler
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Spike Trap. Imagine that going up a Mage's a**. ;)

Remember, a Mage cannot detect traps, and Spike Traps bypasses Stoneskins too. A VERRRRY cheesy ability in my opinion.

I'm currently soloing a blade, and it is a blast. The main reason for doing so was that I was tired of having tanks hack away andmages only using offensive spells. I wanted to have to make the most of every spell, weapon, potion, scroll, etc. It made the game a lot more fun and interesting. I had my doubts about a bard's ability to survive alone, but after killing a couple of dragons to pass the time while Higgold got my playhouse running, well, I realized they're pretty good.

Personally, I feel that while Bards are good for roleplay value, I'd MUCH rather play a Thief/Mage, preferably Elven, and enjoy all the benefits with none of the limitations.

Armor: The Bard's slightly better armor restrictions are negligible, given the high quality of all the Leather armors out there. They can both wear the same sets of Elven Chain Mail. Thief/Mages cannot wear the Melodic Chain, but Bards cannot wear the Robe of Vecna.

Weapons: True, Thief/Mages cannot use Flails, Warhammers, or 2-Handed Swords, but Katanas and Longswords should be enough for anybody. Thieves and Bards get the exact same THAC0 and Weapon Specialization (except for kits).

A Multiclassed Thief is all you'll need to get you by, and will eventually get over 100% in all skills, while a Bard's Pick Pockets skill becomes obsolete once you leave Chapter 5. Not to mention those blisteringly powerful 7th-through-9th Level spells that Bards can never cast, unless you somehow have dozens of scrolls sitting around.

A Mage/Thief still gets the vicious Traps that the Bard does--and can set more of them per day, too.

Of course, building a Multiclassed Thief/Mage instead of a Bard has its drawbacks, let's count them:
- No Enhanced Bard Song.
- No Defensive or Offensive Spin.

I can live with that. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Have you ever played a Blade? Those things do a whole lot of damage!

It only applies to the Blade, but they can Dual-Wield as well with maximum proficiency points.